Daily encouragement in your Christian walk until, as the Apostle Paul writes,"Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19, NIV).

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Right to be Right (Even When You’re Wrong)

By Allen White

A person may think their own ways are
right, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

Anybody
who’s ever bought a used car or a used house has convinced themselves the
situation is better than it actually appears. “The minor engine noise is not
that bad.” “The creak in the floor adds to its charm.” If you’ve only ever
bought new, then you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Over time
those charming, minor flaws we once felt could be easily overlooked are the
first thing we notice on a regular basis. There’s a sick feeling in the pit of
our stomach. Our “great value” gains another name “lemon.”

We live in
a world where we have the right to be right even when we’re wrong. Our
political correctness has led to apathy. “Who am I to judge them?” begins to
sounds like “Why should I care? They made their choice.”

The bottom
line is simply this: I am not “more” right than you, and you aren’t “more”
right than me, but God’s Word is always right. This should be a great comfort,
even though at times God’s Word can make us uncomfortable.

A lot of
people are wrongly “right” about handling their finances. If you’re trying to
set a family budget, and especially if you’re trying to live by one, the first
principle of money is the first 10 percent belongs to God (Malachi 3:3) – no
ifs, ands, or buts.

We think
“if I can’t live on 100 percent of my income, then how could I possibly live on
10 percent less?” Here’s the key: if we live in obedience to God, God will
bless us. If we live in disobedience to God, God will, um, not bless us.

Over the
last six months, I took on a job that I love, but it’s unlike any job I’ve had
before. Rather than having a secure, regular paycheck, there’s a base salary,
then incentives beyond that. For the salesmen out there, they wouldn’t have it
any other way. For me, the thought of not possibly covering basic needs tends
to freak me out a little bit. But, all along we’ve tithed to our church.

Every
month we’ve had what we needed. We haven’t had to touch our emergency savings.
God has provided for all of our needs. Many of my readers have been a part of
this with your generosity in supporting these devotionals.

This is
one of many examples of how God’s ways are higher than our ways. When we think
we know better than God – this is where the trouble begins.

What are
you being stubborn about these days? What part of God’s Word are you ignoring
to justify something that feels right to you? If you’re not sure, ask God to
examine your heart, then humbly surrender the things He points out.